Invest Africa is pleased to announce Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) as Headline Partner for the 12th edition of The Africa Debate, taking place on Wednesday, 3 June 2026 at the Guildhall, London.
This year’s extraordinary speaker line-up includes H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, and AFC’s President and CEO, Samaila Zubairu, alongside global business leaders and investors shaping Africa’s next chapter.
As the UK’s leading forum for high-level dialogue on Africa’s economic future, The Africa Debate 2026 will convene over 800 senior leaders from government, finance and industry under the theme: ‘Redefining Partnership: Navigating a World in Transition’.
As the global order evolves and new economic and geopolitical realities emerge, discussions will focus on how to accelerate investment, unlock growth and strengthen development outcomes through a new era of collaboration.
This year’s speaker line-up reflects the breadth of voices shaping Africa’s next chapter, from heads of state to the stewards of global capital.
Highlights include:
H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana
The Rt. Hon. Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Minister for International Development and Africa
Key ministers include:
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Ghana
Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister for Lands and Natural Resource, Republic of Ghana
Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson, Minister of Finance, Republic of Ghana
Hon. Judith Salvio Kapinga, Minister for Industry and Trade, United Republic of Tanzania
H.E. Taiwo Oyedele, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Dalu Ajene, CEO & Head of Coverage, Africa, Standard Chartered
Runa Alam, Co-Founder & CEO, Development Partners International
Haythem El Maayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank, Afreximbank
Dr. Awele V. Elumelu, Co-Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation
Claver Gatete, Under Secretary General & Executive Secretary, UNECA
Amadou Hott, Chair, Africa Advisory Board, Vision Invest
Kola Karim, Group Managing Director & CEO, Shoreline Energy International
Leslie Maasdorp, Chief Executive Officer, British International Investment
Zemedeneh Negatu, Chief Executive Officer, CBE Capital Investment Bank and Chairman, Fairfax Africa Fund
Hardy Pemhiwa, President & CEO, Cassava Technologies
Commenting on AFC’s partnership with Invest Africa, Samaila Zubairu, President and CEO of Africa Finance Corporation, said: “We are entering a decisive period for Africa and the global economy. As trade routes, supply chains, and industrial capacity are being reshaped, Africa has a historic opportunity to move from the margins of the global economy to a more central role in powering future growth, resilience, and industrial competitiveness.
Realising that opportunity will require mobilising capital at scale toward the infrastructure, energy systems, logistics networks, and industrial ecosystems that enable productive economies to grow and create jobs.
The Africa Debate comes at an important moment to deepen partnerships, align long-term capital with long-term opportunity, and accelerate the practical solutions required to help build the Africa our children will inherit.”
Chantelé Carrington, CEO of Invest Africa, added: “The world is in transition, and Africa is no longer waiting to be invited to shape it. From the race to secure critical minerals and redefine development finance, to the urgent need to unlock energy access and accelerate digital transformation, this year’s Africa Debate puts Africa’s priorities first.
With AFC as our Headline Partner, we have a bold, visionary institution that understands what long-term, bankable investment in Africa truly looks like. Together, we are convening a conversation that goes beyond rhetoric, focused on the partnerships, the financing models, and the structural shifts that will define Africa’s next decade.”
Confirmed Partners of The Africa Debate Include: Africa Finance Corporation (Headline Partner), Absa Group, Afreximbank, Africa GreenCo, Brand South Africa, FirstBank UK Limited, Invest Durban, London Stock Exchange Group, Manufacturing Africa, Premier Invest, Rawbank, S-RM, Société Nationale d’Électricité (SNEL), Standard Bank Group and Standard Chartered.
To register as a delegate for The Africa Debate, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/4dqVaqk.
Africa Fact: In 1999 the BBC produced a television series entitled Millennium. The programme devoted to the fourteenth century opens with the following disclosure: “In the fourteenth century, the century of the scythe, natural disasters threatened civilisations with extinction. The Black Death kills more people in Europe, Asia and North Africa than any catastrophe has before. Civilisations which avoid the plague thrive. In West Africa the Empire of Mali becomes the richest in the world.”
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I saw a quote by Nelson Mandela on MyZA – can you tell me what date did he die?
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